ALEXIS TSIPRAS, Greece’s radical left-wing opposition leader, believes that by raising his profile abroad he can impress voters at home. His audience last month with Pope Francis, party officials explained, was a “meeting of minds”. The pontiff, they said, agreed with Mr Tsipras, an atheist, about the unjust suffering caused by harsh austerity policies imposed in the wake of economic collapse, whether in Greece or, in the late 1990s, in the Pope’s native Argentina.Mr Tsipras’s unsuccessful but well-publicised run for president of the European Union’s commission as the candidate of the European left also helped boost his credibility back home. His Syriza party finished 3.8% ahead of the governing coalition, led by New Democracy, a centre-right party, in the elections for the EU parliament in May.Talk of an early general election is in the air: New Democracy and the PanHellenic Socialist Movement need 180 votes in parliament next February to choose a new president to replace the incumbent, Karolos Papoulias, who is retiring from politics. With only 154 lawmakers between them, it will be a struggle to round up the extra votes from a pool of fractious independents and moderate left-wingers. If they fail, an early general election will be held. Mr Tsipras is in pole position to win.Three recent opinion polls showed Syriza’s lead over New Democracy widening to up to five...
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